| This study examined the role of one instructional coach and her relationship with five teachers she worked with over a five-year period. The central research question was: "What key attributes does an effective instructional coach exhibit that enable her to establish a productive working relationship with teachers in order that they might bring about positive change in their instructional practices?".;In addition, narrative-based evaluation was used as the process of sharing ones' personal experiences, which emerged through the use of story. As the story was told, patterns and connections began to surface and the larger story developed.;Through the use of qualitative comparative analysis and narrative-based evaluation, the researcher examined the key attributes of an effective instructional coach. These attributes helped to establish a productive working relationship between coach and teachers and brought about positive instructional change in the teachers' practices.;The findings revealed six attributes of a productive coach-teacher relationship that contribute to positive change in teachers' instructional practice: (a) responding respectfully, (b) building relationships, (c) demonstrating professional knowledge, (d) exhibiting trust, (e) giving feedback, and (f) displaying sensitivity and openness. These attributes were discussed in greater detail as related to the theory of ethic of care.;In qualitative research, concepts, assumptions, beliefs, and theories are used to inform the researcher in formulating a tentative theory. For this study, grounded theory, an inductive research technique, was used to investigate a new point of view in a familiar situation. The conceptual framework was generated from the data rather than from previous studies, and the researcher attempted to discover dominant processes by comparing various data sources rather than comparing totals of indices. This method has also been called "qualitative comparative analysis.".;Although this study was conducted on a small, select group of educators, it provides further understanding of the necessary attributes an instructional coach must employ and how those attributes establish positive relationships with teachers. |
